


out of my head

by laurenshappenstobemyhusband



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Akabane Karma Has ADHD, Akabane Karma is a Little Shit, Akabane Karma is a Menace to Society, Angry Hookups, Asano Gakushuu is Suffering, Asano Gakushuu is Surprisingly Sneaky, Enemies With Benefits, Enemies to Lovers, High School, M/M, all "akabane" this and "akabane" that, all that good shit, gakushuu has 99 problems and karma is all of them, like itll be A LONG WHILE before gakushuu calls him karma, shit really does go down, when you put a lawful evil and a chaotic evil together in the same class
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24906730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurenshappenstobemyhusband/pseuds/laurenshappenstobemyhusband
Summary: "You're not top of the class, I am, and you're definitely not attractive," Gakushuu says with narrowed eyes. "Whoever told you that was either high or in need of glasses."Partially a lie; Akabane might seem attractive when you first approached him, but his demonic personality overshadows it many-fold."Harsh, Asano," Akabane says with a bit of a frown. "I can admit that you're good looking even though you have the personality of a dumpster fire. You shouldn't let your bias against me affect you so much."OR: Gakushuu thought it was bad enough going to the same school as Karma. As it turns out, being in the same class as him is much,muchworse
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Asano Gakushuu
Comments: 22
Kudos: 243





	1. Akabane Makes Some Friends

**Author's Note:**

> I missed writing my favorite rivals. have some commiseration.
> 
> Also this was gonna be background karmagisa but then i started writing and i was like "wait this is some quality karushuu shit"
> 
> EDIT: I changed the fic description to match its new karushuu status. now its less "rivals who piss each other off" and more "rivals who piss each other off with Feeling"
> 
> EDIT AGAIN: they're third years now. you're welcome

When Gakushuu gets the horrible news - from his own father, might he add - the first thing he says is, "You can't put Akabane in the same class as me. I'll either kill him or die myself." 

Truer words have never been spoken. Sure, _technically_ Akabane is an assassin, so the odds might be leaning in his favor, but Gakushuu has so much pent up aggression in him that he feels like he might explode sometimes, and that could easily be channeled into kicking Akabane's ass. 

Regardless, the principal is unmoved. "I thought you would enjoy some healthy competition. He certainly rejoiced at being placed in your class. It was a mistake of mine not to do it earlier."

"That's because he's a sadist," Gakushuu argues. "You're playing _right into his hand._ If you love me like you say you do on paper, then make a new End class and banish him there alone." He must be desperate, trying to appeal to his father's practically non-existent fatherly side. He's desperate enough not to feel ashamed of it, either.

But of course, like most Hail Marys, his doesn't pan out. "If I were to accept your request, that would be favoring you above the other students, and I can't allow that type of thing in my school. It would ruin my impartial reputation."

 _Impartial reputation? Like when you spent your whole career keeping one class purposefully down so everyone else could shine?_ But what the principal says goes without question, and Gakushuu sees himself out of the office.

_His help isn't necessary. I will handle the Akabane situation alone, like I handle everything else in my life alone, and I will triumph. Even if I have to physically kick him out of class myself._

* * *

Their first day of classes together, Gakushuu decides to assert his dominance immediately.

"I know you may have had a strange leadership position in your old class, but that doesn't remain true here," he says while they go to the front to get their textbooks. He sits in the front, while Akabane - predictably - sits in the back, so this is his one chance to talk to him before lunch. "On the main campus, I have control."

"Who says I want control?" Akabane asks, looking bored. "Especially over these numbos. If I wanted it, I'd take it, but I'll leave it to you."

"You couldn't possibly be a leader here," Gakushuu scoffs. "These aren't the delinquents you're used to. These are normal students, bright ones. And they all dislike you."

"Really? Do tell." Akabane doesn't look like he cares about this either. _I suppose when everyone has hated you for so long, you grow used to the feeling of being disliked._ "I could be just as 'likable' as you, Asano. The only difference is that I'm not a fake ass bitch."

"Being friendly isn't being a 'fake ass bitch'."

"It is when you don't actually like any of them." 

Gakushuu won't be beaten out in a game of power, especially not by Akabane. "If you're so confident in your likability, go make a friend. You've had one of those before, right?"

"I didn't know you could tell the difference between friendship and servitude, Asano," Akabane replies, but looks around the room at the other students, settling on a girl with a brown ponytail and glasses. "Fine. I'll go make friends with her."

Gakushuu watches on in amusement as Akabane approaches the girl - Takao, he believes - and begins talking to her. His amusement fades, however, once it becomes clear that Akabane is actually _getting somewhere with her._ Takao looks almost bashful, playing with her hair and smiling at him. Akabane for once is smiling back normally, rather than with his usual malicious smirk.

_That bastard. Who knew he knew the first thing about normal human interaction?_

A few minutes later, the redhead approaches his desk, triumphance shining in his eyes.

"Was that good enough for you?" he asks, grin growing at Gakushuu's scowl. "Her name is Takao Hanae, she has two cats and a dog, and _I_ have her number. I was also invited to go eat lunch with her and her friends later on, not that I'll go."

"And why not?" Gakushuu asks, slightly confused. "If you got on so well with her-"

"I only 'got on well with her'-" he says this mockingly in a posh voice, "-because I was being a fake ass bitch. It's not hard to do. Plus, even though you've got charm, I have something you don't."

"And what's that? More detentions than one would think possible?"

Akabane leans in, like he's going to tell a secret. "I'm actually cool. Maybe it didn't matter in middle school because everyone had a stick up their ass like you, but people like a bad boy. A bad boy who's also top of the class in academics? I'm the perfect human being. And I'm hot."

"You're not top of the class, _I am,_ and you're definitely not attractive," Gakushuu says with narrowed eyes. "Whoever told you that was either high or in need of glasses." Partially a lie; Akabane might _seem_ attractive when you first approached him, but his demonic personality overshadows it many-fold. 

"Harsh, Asano," Akabane says with a bit of a frown. "I can admit that you're good looking even though you have the personality of a dumpster fire. You shouldn't let your bias against me affect you so much."

"Don't use your fake charm on me, Akabane. I can see through it."

"I'm being totally honest! You should try it for a change. The truth will set you free and all that shit, right?"

Gakushuu is spared from anymore of this - whatever this is - by the teacher finally calling them to their seats. If he faces forward, he can pretend Akabane isn't even there, and that's all he ever wanted.

* * *

At lunch, he sits with his old group of friends from middle school. It's not surprising that they've stuck together all of these years; when you've been friends with one group of people since elementary school, you don't tend to stray. In his first year of high school, he was in the same class as all of them. In the second, Sakakibara and Koyoma. This year, only Araki. Probably another plot of his father, to make him slowly more uncomfortable with each passing year. Well this is the last year he can pull anything like that.

Akabane is nowhere in sight. _I guess he eats lunch off campus. Maybe he meets up with his old delinquent friends and they mug people in their free time._

His group talks like they usually do, mostly about coursework with the occasional diversion to their extracurriculars. Sakakibara mentions his girlfriend at least three times, to the point where Tomoya asks when the wedding is. All is well.

Then the subject shifts to something a little less acceptable.

"I saw you talking to Akabane earlier," Araki says, peering at him intently through his glasses. "You looked troubled. What were you discussing?"

_Oh, you know, arguing over which of us is more charming and worthy of being a leader, followed by a brief discussion about personal looks. Just the usual conversation, much like one at a tea party._

"Nothing in particular," he says nonchalantly. "We argued about... music." _What am I saying? Where is my quick thinking now?_

"Music," Koyoma repeated. "You argued with Akabane over... music?"

"Yes, he has the most atrocious taste in music. All loud rock and heavy metal. Simply grating to me." He's talking faster now, to make up for his slowness before. He hopes that his friends are too perplexed to notice.

"But how did you get into the topic in the first place?" Tomoya asks.

"I heard his phone ring while I was retrieving my textbooks, and his ringtone was simply awful. That spawned it." He takes a moment to breathe. _Close one._ "I do hope to avoid any further interactions with him. It was unsettling, to say the least."

"Shame we were put in the same class as him this year," Araki says with a shake of his head. "We were spared for the past two years too. What are the odds?"

Gakushuu has the sneaking suspicion that his father put him with Akabane on purpose in order to challenge him, but he won't voice that thought out loud. It sounds too paranoid, especially about someone who is supposedly his beloved father. 

"We have our fair share of annoying kids too," Sakakibara says, pointing to himself and Koyoma. "There was a girl who chewed gum the entirety of our first class. She obviously didn't go here before or she would know her manners. My girlfriend would never-"

"Your girlfriend doesn't even go to Kunugigaoka," Tomoya cuts him off. "And when will we get to meet her? It's beginning to sound like she's a figment of your imagination."

"You're only jealous that you don't have your own," Sakakibara says with a sniff, and the conversation flows from there. Gakushuu releases a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. For some reason, talking about Akabane with his friends didn't have the appeal that it used to. If anything, it feels constricting, almost like he should be keeping it a secret.

_Well of course I should be keeping it a secret. I wouldn't want anyone to know that I associate with that delinquent for more time than is necessary. God forbid it gets out that I had a whole conversation with him... my reputation will go down several points. I might even lose my spot as class representative._

Technically he doesn't _have_ that spot yet, but he's damn well going to get it, just like he has for the past two years, and three before that. After all, who else in the class is worthy to challenge him?

* * *

"I'd like to be considered for the spot of class representative."

Gakushuu gapes at Akabane, and so does the rest of their class. Sure, he has been branching out the past week, talking to some of the other members of the class, but _Akabane Karma of End Class?_ As their class representative? It is deplorable. It is a stain on their class's reputation. It is-

"Alright, Akabane, I will add you the ballot," their teacher replies, and that's that. There are five people running for class representative, but Gakushuu isn't worried about anyone besides for Akabane. _No, I'm not worried about him either. He may seem charming, and he might have a point about bad boys being likable, but I've known most of these students for years. They know me as their leader._

Their teacher passes out scraps of paper, and Gakushuu writes his own name down as his pick for representative. Technically he's not supposed to, but he's _positive_ that Akabane did the same, and he won't give him an edge in this. He will come out victorious, even if he has to lower himself to Akabane's level.

The count takes an excruciating amount of time, and Akabane catches his eye during this time. Gakushuu can't even say it's an accident, since he's practically backwards in his chair. Subconsciously, like a sunflower turns to the sun, he had spun in his chair to face Akabane head on.

The other boy's eyes glint with amusement. This is just another game to him. He smiles, and the points of his teeth catch in the light. Gakushuu smiles back, equally taunting, because this is a mind game and he has always been great at those. It turns to a staring contest then, even though neither of them say anything. Gakushuu loses - it's not his fault he sits under the vent - and Akabane winks at him. That's his cue to turn back around with a scowl.

_This is like midterms all over again._

Except this time, he comes out victorious. Ten votes for him, seven for Akabane, and not nearly as many for anyone else. That makes him representative and Akabane vice representative. _Not ideal, but certainly not the worst that could have happened. If Akabane had actually beaten me... my father would be displeased for sure._

"So what does the vice representative do?" he asks later, once they're by the lockers. Gakushuu can see Araki pause in his motions in his periphery, definitely listening in, but he has no choice but to answer.

"You support what I say, help with the planning of events, come to the afterschool meetings once a week. You're basically my assistant." A small, petty part of Gakushuu relishes the power that he now has over Akabane. Most of him dreads the time that they'll spend together.

As if reading his mind, Akabane says, "Seems like we'll be seeing a lot of each other, then. Don't look so sad about it, I'm great company. Not like you, with your posture stiffer than your shirt collar."

"You're right, I'm enjoying myself already," Gakushuu says dryly, and pulls on his shoes. "I'll send you the schedule for the meetings once I get it. What's your email address?"

Akabane snorts out loud. "Email address? What are you, seventy? Do you even have a real phone, or do you just use Daddy's work computer and a landline to get by? I swear, you seem stiffer the more I know about you."

"Of course I have a cell phone," Gakushuu hisses, barely keeping it together because they're in public. He waves it around in Akabane's face for good measure. "Email address is just convenient for me."

"Just take my phone number, gramps," Akabane says with a drawn out sigh. "I swear, teaching technology to the elderly is _so_ burdensome. Wake up, grandfather, it's the twenty first century."

Gakushuu almost smacks him in the face with his phone. "Put it in before I get you kicked out of your position entirely and replace you with someone better fit for the role of vice representative."

"You're bluffing. If you could do that, you'd have done it already the second you saw my name on the ballot."

"You have no idea what I'm capable of, Akabane," he bluffs bluffingly, because of _course_ Akabane is right on the mark. Ever since he first failed at getting Akabane out of his class, he's been wondering if he has any power left at all after his failure last year to crush E class. Not that that was really his fault, but his father does play the blame game with finesse.

Whether the other boy believes him or not, he does what he says and puts his number in under Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare, with a string of smiling devil emojis. "How very... you."

"You know it, baby," Akabane says, and swings his bag over his shoulder. "It'll be fun to be in control for once. Asano, Weren't you the one who said that I'd never be a leader here like I was in E class? Oh how the tables have turned."

"You're still second rate, Akabane," Gakushuu says, clasping his hands together like he does when he's frustrated. "As vice representative, you'll have no power that I don't approve of first. You're an assistant, remember?"

"We'll see about that," Akabane says with another wink, and strides off into the distance, leaving no trace of himself except for a sour taste in Gakushuu's mouth. _He might be more trouble than I previously anticipated. I will have to be wary._

"What was that?" Araki asks, and Gakushuu has no answer that will satisfy either of them.


	2. Akabane Speaks His Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looking back at the last chapter i realized i CANNOT write an enemies with benefits fic about a couple of fourteen year olds. unacceptable. so they're in their third year of high school now. thems the rules. i only changed the first chapter a little to reflect it but most everything is the same

Over the duration of the week between Gakushuu giving over his phone number and the first after school meeting, Akabane texts him three separate times. In Gakushuu's opinion, it's three times too many.

The first time was on that same day, when Gakushuu was in the middle of eating dinner with his parents, trying to finish as quickly as possible as he always did. It was a tricky art, since he had to pretend he was taking his time, and if he got a speck of food on his uniform, his father would launch into a lecture about the importance of neatness. But after several years of sitting through family dinners, he had swallowing food almost whole and washing it down with his water down to an art form.

His phone was in his pocket, and he ignored the buzz at first, since one of his father's many dinnertime rules was "no phones at the table." But then he received another. And another. And a fourth. And on the fifth, he couldn't ignore it anymore.

"May I be excused?" he asked his father, hand itching to grab his phone. "Bathroom."

"Certainly," the principal replied, and the amused look in his eyes suggested that he had heard the buzzing too. Luckily for Gakushuu, he seemed to be in a good mood. "Come back soon. Dinner, contrary to popular belief, is actually an important meal too."

Gakushuu nodded, like he always did when his father brought up a "fascinating" piece of information, and scurried off to the bathroom. _Whoever is texting me, it must be something an important. An emergency, maybe, although I doubt it's too urgent because otherwise they would call. Whatever it is, I should settle it quickly._

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** yo did you do the math homework yet?

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** i know i got it all right but i want to see what you got wrong

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** asano stop ignoring me

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** i know you don't have a life 

Gakushuu didn't know what he expected, but opening his phone to fine _four texts from Akabane about absolutely nothing_ made his blood boil. If this was middle school, he would have started planning his newest revenge plan, but he didn't have that kind of power anymore. So he put all of his energy into writing the most scathing of responses.

**Me:** I did not do the math homework yet, as I have been busy eating dinner with my family. You can get the answers from someone else. Your best friend Takao, maybe, or perhaps one of your delinquent friends, assuming any of them can do math. I do have things to do, unlike you, so please refrain from spamming my phone just because you have nothing better to do.

He returned to dinner, avoided his father's gaze, and continued eating his food with rapt attention. _Cut, chew, swallow. Don't let Akabane ruin your evening._ It was harder to pretend the redhead didn't exist when the buzzing in his pocket returned, but he managed to make it through the rest of dinner without having to get up or choking on his food out of pure anger.

"Thank you for the meal," he said to the principal, even though his father had no part in making the meal besides for hiring the housekeeper. "May I be excused?"

"Yes," he replied, waving him away. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." They always spoke to each other like business partners at a dinner party, but that was easier for Gakushuu. It meant that they spoke less to each other.

He checked his phone again when he was safely in his room, and he wasn't surprised to see another three texts from the bane of his existence.

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** jeez don't get your panties in a twist

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** you should try yoga or meditation for your anger issues :)

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** but ok, keep your math homework a secret. i'll survive

He didn't throw his phone through a window, but it was a very close call.

* * *

The second time was actually in the middle of class two days later.

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** kumagai can really talk all day to himself huh

Let the record reflect that the only reason Gakushuu even checked his phone at all was because he knew that if he didn't, Akabane would continue to bombard him with messages. And of _course_ it was Akabane, because no one else would text him during class, and as soon as he felt the buzz, he looked behind him to see the boy _smirking_ at him. Waiting for him to open it.

**Me:** Maybe if you listened then you would be more interested.

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** would if i could. this class deletes my brain cells one by one

**Me:** You better be careful, then. You don't have many to spare.

He actually heard a snort come from behind him, and he resisted the urge to turn around and glare. He didn't want Akabane to know that he was actually bothering him, while the redhead seemed to be having a great time of it. 

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** the fact that you're not lecturing me about being on my phone means that you're bored too

**Me:** I'm not bored. I'm paying attention. You're just projecting your own feelings onto me. But if it will make you happy, I'll stop responding.

In truth, Kumagai was not one of his favorite teachers, and he already knew everything that he's teaching, but he couldn't let Akabane win. If Akabane is the careless delinquent, then Gakushuu will have to be the studious model student to oppose him.

His phone buzzed a few more times, but he didn't even look up because he could feel Akabane's eyes on the back of his head. Part of him considered blocking him entirely, but he knew that would only escalate the situation. Plus, how would he be able to contact him for actual school council related topics? _But it would be so satisfying,_ his brain whined, and he sighed loud enough that the person sitting next to him looked up in concern. _Bastard._

He only checked his messages hours after school ended, when his phone _really_ started burning a hole in his pocket. 

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** paying attention my ass. impossible in this class

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** hey that rhymed. my talent and intelligence emerges even unintentionally sometimes

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** so you're really ignoring me huh

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** i can see you flinch every time you get a text from me lmao

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** what if i just kept texting you all period. would you block me?

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** nah you're too much of a coward

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** i'll stop for now out of the goodness of my heart. even bothering you can't keep me awake in this class

He shouldn't have responded. It was a bad idea to let Akabane know that he even read the garbage stream of consciousness that were his text messages. But Gakushuu's restraint always wore out eventually when it came to Akabane.

**Me:** Do you not have a single friend to bother? Whatever kind of technological cohabitation you're trying to force upon me, I don't appreciate it one bit. 

Of course, Akabane responds a minute later, because he's a slacker with an addiction both for technology and ruining Gakushuu's day.

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** what can i say? your reactions are a lot funnier

* * *

The third he actually received on the afternoon of the after school meeting itself, during his lunch break. At this point, he could almost identify Akabane's texts from the buzz alone. 

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** so what do i have to do for this meeting again? i'm falling asleep already

It was getting easier to channel his anger into his responses. If being in the same class as Akabane would help him in any way, it would be in the strain that it put on Gakushuu's patience. After all, like his father always told him, what didn't kill him made him stronger.

**Me:** If you didn't want to be class representative, then you should not have put your name on the ballot. I was smart enough to see that you would make a positively horrible representative, but obviously you didn't think it through.

"Who is it?" Araki asked, watching his face contort in a scowl as he typed out the reply. 

"Akabane," he got out through gritted teeth, because even though he was embarrassed that he was even _corresponding_ with the delinquent, he knew that there was no way he could believably lie. No one else got to him quite like Akabane did. "He's asking about his responsibilities as the vice representative." He grimaced again, feeling a familiar buzz in his pocket. "There he is again."

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** you didn't answer my question asano and also if you keep bullying your vice like this then i'll have to impeach you

Seo and Sakakibara, his friends sitting closest to him, leaned over to watch his twitching fingers respond.

**Me:** I will brief you on exactly what to say and do before the meeting, because I'm sure your short attention span will not retain any of the information should I relay it now. Most of your duties will be to sit and nod. I do not believe you can manage even that, but I suppose we shall see.

Gakushuu heard Seo laugh, and he looked up crossly.

"You must really be on your last nerve if you're using the word 'relay'," he said, chuckling. And it was true, Gakushuu tended to overuse his mental thesaurus when he was stressed, but that was something he could not change about himself. After all, his father never listened to him unless he articulated _exactly_ what he wanted to say, and entirely in college level vocabulary, so the habit stuck.

"Yes, well," he said, tucking his phone away. "There isn't much I can do about the situation, now is there? For the rest of the lunch period, I would appreciate if we as a whole pretend that Akabane does not exist."

Of course, the second he said this, he received another text. Now Koyoma was laughing too, and Araki was leaning over again to try and see the newest update in Gakushuu's miserable life.

"Open it," Sakakibara urged. "Nothing will come of ignoring it."

_The preservation of my sanity isn't "nothing."_ And yet, he still opened it. _Maybe I too am a slave to my technology. Or a masochist of some kind._

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** relax. i know when to sit still and look pretty. as long as you don't make any stupid decisions, i won't say a word

"That sounds like a threat," Koyoma remarked, and Gakushuu agreed. It sounded like a timebomb set to ticking.

**Me:** I don't believe you are the best judge of stupid decisions, Akabane, and I doubt any words you have to contribute will be of any value at the meeting.

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** harsh harsh harsh. my heart is quaking :(

**Akabane Karma, Your Worst Nightmare:** but i guess we'll just have to see how the meeting goes, huh

**Me:** I suppose we will. 

And for once, Akabane didn't respond back, letting Gakushuu's empty statement of false confidence bookend their conversation. He stuck his phone in his pocket for good after that, but the conversation haunted him for the rest of lunch period, and the classes that followed.

_What is Akabane planning, and how do I stop him?_ Can _I even stop him?_

* * *

"This is the first meeting of the year, so a good portion of it will be introductions."

"Got it."

"After that, we will most likely begin discussing club budgets. I have a paper written out with my thoughts, and when they call for our class's representative to speak, I will relay those thoughts."

"I'm sure you will."

"During all of this, unless you're directly addressed, you will not say a word."

"Hmm."

"What's 'hmm'? What's so hard about not opening your mouth?"

"I mean, can't I see your golden plan before you give it to them? Since I'm your vice and all-"

"Vice representative means absolutely nothing. It is a figurehead position created so that the second place winner wouldn't go crying home to their parents about the unfairness of the polling system. It means nothing to anyone inside, and it means less than nothing to me."

"I'm sure none of the reps in there oppress their vices as much as you do. I'm sure they're allowed to talk, so why can't I?"

"We both know very well that you're nothing like the rest of the students in there. Quite frankly, you are not representative material."

"Who's to say? You? The president? Obviously the people think that I'm suitable, so I should be allowed to talk."

"Why do you even want to talk? It isn't as though you care about the school at all."

"I like having power and influence. And the sound of my own voice, of course."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Gakushuu rakes a hand through his hair, sure that he'll give himself a bald spot from how often he has done that in the past five minutes. They're still standing outside of the meeting room, the meeting is about to start, and Akabane is _still_ being a complete ass.

"Let's go inside," he finally sighs, avoiding Akabane's expectant gaze and walking right past him. "I'm not your mother."

"Thank god for that," Akabane snorts, and walks in behind him, settling in the chair beside him. The rest of the representatives are already seated, and the faculty advisor checks a few more things off of his list. Per the principal's design, their school's student council works more as an oligarchy than a democracy, so each representative has equal say before they reach a conclusion. The vice representatives also vote at the end, but they really have no big influence.

_So Akabane would do best to keep his oversized mouth shut._

Just as he told him before, half of the meeting is introductions. There are ten people in the room in total, five representatives and their vice representatives. When it comes time for Akabane to introduce himself, Gakushuu holds his breath, but the boy does nothing but say his name and class with a bright smile. A fake smile, but bright nonetheless.

He supposes that is to distract the room from his incessant foot tapping, or maybe Gakushuu is the only one who can hear it. A steady _thump thump thump_ during all of the introductions, like he has somewhere better to be. He stops when Gakushuu elbows him in the side, but resumes a minute later without even looking like he's aware of it. 

Then it comes time to start discussing the bigger issues. Club budgets won't be settled until much later, but there's always time for preliminary discussions, and Gakushuu is ready. He has his papers and his statistics and his speech, and he is ready.

"There is a lot of talk about how to motivate students to join academic-oriented clubs," he starts, looking around the room with a stone-serious stare. The kind that says _if you break eye contact, you will miss out on something extraordinary._ "Requiring students to join a club is a good start, but giving so much funding to clubs with no real world applications only leads to students wasting their time and filling their free hours with activities so pointless, they might as well not join a club at all."

He then goes on to outline different clubs that shouldn't be eliminated entirely, but definitely budgeted down so that the extra money would be redistributed towards clubs with more value. He can tell that some of them are uncomfortable at the thought of these cut-downs, but he's sure that by the time they start making real decisions, he will have the majority on his side. 

And then Akabane opens his idiotic mouth.

"Am I able to voice my opinion on the matter?" he asks, directing the group as a whole but looking towards one girl in particular. If Gakushuu remembers correctly, she was another big speaker from before. _He's targeting her because he knows she has more influence than some of the others. How can he be so pragmatic and so dumb at the same time?_

When he has most of the room nodding assent, he continues, and this time his gaze is directly facing Gakushuu. "I'll admit, my esteemed chief rep here made some valid points about the value of pushing students towards academically oriented clubs. However, I think that forcing students to join the clubs that _you_ approve of by defunding the ones that you disapprove of will only lead to clubs full of undermotivated students."

Gakushuu is about to interject, but it seems as though he's just getting started. "See, many people think that universities only want to see students in certain clubs. Academic ones, perhaps, or sports related ones. But that's not true. Colleges want to see students in clubs that they enjoy and are dedicated to. They would rather someone be able to write an essay on their gaming club than only be able to write a few sentences on their public speaking club, simply because they don't care enough about it."

He looks around the room now, catches some eyes, gathers energy from them. "As the student council, we're supposed to make decisions for the benefit of the whole school. So instead of sucking away clubs that people are passionate about, we should focus on making our academic clubs more appealing. That way, we'll gather people who actually want to join them, rather than just people who go because they have to."

He sits back down, and he has them. Gakushuu can see that he has them hanging onto his every word. If they even remember his speech, they won't think of it for long after Akabane's passion fueled statement. 

Akabane's foot starts tapping again, faster now. Gakushuu wants to step on it.

When the meeting ends, he pulls Akabane by the backpack strap to the side of the school. He knows that he should be trying to talk to the other representatives now, maybe save some face after his own vice representative openly opposed him, but his rage is all consuming. He just wants to snap at Akabane, go home, take a long shower, and head to bed.

"You really couldn't follow the most basic of instructions, could you?" he starts as soon as they're out of earshot from everyone else. "I gave you instructions that a dog could follow, that a _rock_ could follow, and you didn't even seem to try. _Sit still and don't talk._ That was all you had to do. But in true Akabane fashion, you screwed that up royally, and now we both look ridiculous."

"I don't think _I_ look ridiculous," Akabane starts, and Gakushuu wants to slap him so bad, but he won't resort to physical violence. No matter what, he refuses to yield to his own impulses. 

"Stop talking, Akabane, you've done enough of that today," he growls. "If you really had something to say, couldn't you have saved it for after the meeting? All you did was make it seem like we have no communication whatsoever, and now they'll view us as two separate parties instead of one united front."

"We're not a united front, though. You wanted to say everything, and you didn't consult me first. So of course I would speak my mind." _He acts like the world is so simple. Like if you think that you're right, surely you are._ _How can he be so naive?_

"Again, stop talking. The point of the matter is that you obviously have no idea how those meetings go. My fault, perhaps, for not informing you well enough. Next time I'll be sure to give you a whole list of things _not_ to say, since telling you what you can say doesn't work. Maybe then I'll be able to survive for the rest of the year with you by my side."

"Asano, I don't get how-" 

And Gakushuu can't take it anymore. He can't look at Akabane's self righteous grin as he interrupts him for a third time, probably to say something equally inane as the last two. He still won't slap him, he refuses to sink to that level, so he does the next best thing. He presses Akabane to the wall by his shoulders, leans in, and bashes his mouth against his. It's quite possibly the most abrasive kiss in history, but it does the trick; Akabane doesn't say a word when he draws back, eyes wide and full of questions. It's nice to see him like this, looking like he _doesn't_ have all of the answers for once.

"I told you before," Gakushuu huffs, because somehow he's out of breath now. "Shut up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whooo that was a long one, but it sets things off. never said this was a slow burn, did i? slow to feelings, maybe, but it starts off quick


	3. Akabane Has Some Questions

"Explain," Akabane says almost immediately after, breaking the blessed silence. Gakushuu doesn't know why he thought it would work for more than a second; he was foolish in that way.

"No," he says tiredly, and hurries off. He doesn't owe _Akabane_ any sort of explanation, not after all of the shit he pulled during the meeting. If anything, he should still be the one demanding explanations. Besides, he has to get home and do his homework and practice the piano and exercise and _none of that_ leaves any room in his schedule for meaningless explanations.

Predictably, Akabane follows.

"You know I can report that as harassment, right?" he says, long legs striding to keep up. "Without a proper explanation, that is."

"Go home, Akabane. Go back to sleeping or jerking off or whatever you do in your free time."

"You know, it doesn't look good for you to talk about me jerking off _a minute after_ you kissed me, Asano."

_He's right._ "Stop following me. I will report you."

"I'll report you right back," Akabane says, and it's an empty threat, but it still grates at Gakushuu, pulling at his nerves. He's angrier at himself than the redhead. Why _had_ he done it? If he really wanted to shut Akabane up quickly, he should've shoved a binder in his mouth. It wouldn't have been the most mature move, sure, but it _certainly_ wouldn't have had the ramifications of doing what he did.

"Have a good night," he says reflexively, even though Akabane does not deserve one, and leaps onto his bike. He never has a ride home when he stays late, and usually he would be upset by this, but he rather appreciates it now. His father usually drives home with him, and he can smell something amiss like blood in the water. He would sooner ride his bicycle into the ocean than explain his _actions_ to his father.

"You can't just ignore me, Asano," he hears Akabane call. "We're in the same class together. I have your phone number too."

"I'll block you," Gakushuu says under his breath, peddling faster. "I'll block you on my phone and in my vision and just in general. Completely and utterly blocked." _Oh god, I'm actually speaking aloud to myself. At this rate, Akabane will actually get me committed somewhere._

His phone vibrates the whole ride home, and when he reaches his house, he hastily pulls it out, blocking Akabane's number without reading any of the messages. He gets a glimpse of one as he slams a finger down on the red button. _I know you're flipping out-_

Beep. Blocked. And just like that, Gakushuu's headache is gone for the night.

Except it isn't. Because no more than twenty minutes later, he receives a call from a number he recognizes with a sinking in his stomach. On his _house phone._

"You would not believe how easy it was to get this number," Akabane says as soon as he picks up, practically steaming at the ears. "Just a search of the school-"

Gakushuu hangs up the phone, writes down Akabane's number, and instructs all of the housekeepers not to pick up the phone when he calls. This keeps Akabane at bay for ten minutes, until he grows smarter and starts calling from a different line. The house phone is officially barred for the foreseeable future. His father, luckily enough, is locked in his study and doesn't seem to notice the commotion. At least, Gakushuu hopes so.

When he's sure Akabane is beat, at least for the moment, Gakushuu goes to take a shower and doesn't drown in it, as much as he begs the water. At least then he wouldn't have to go to school the next day. _Will he tell my classmates? My friends? My_ father? _It's not a matter of if he would sink that low, because I know he would, but rather how much it would benefit him. Is my humiliation worth that much to him?_

After he gets dressed, towel still wrapped around his shoulders, he hears a rapping on his window. _No. It wouldn't be. It couldn't be. For the love of god, please don't let it be-_

"Asano, you made it," Akabane says, voice muffled through the glass. "How nice to hear from you."

Gakushuu stares at the window, at the boy sitting on his roof on the _second floor of his house,_ and almost closes the curtains. Well, to be precise, he begins closing the curtains and only stops when Akabane starts knocking on the glass again. Harder this time. _At this rate, he'll get the attention of the whole house._

"How did you get on my roof?" is the first thing he asks when he opens the window. He holds a hand out to make sure Akabane doesn't sneak into his room like the snake he is, slithering anywhere he pleases.

"Climbed," Akabane replies. "Used your fence for a bit, then navigated your roof until I found your room."

"How did you know it was mine?"

"You have a poster of Einstein on your wall. It was either your room or your clone's." He flexes and unflexes his fingers. "Can I come in?"

"Absolutely not!" Gakushuu says, aghast. "Why would you ever think that I would let you into my room? This is trespassing already, you know."

The smile that passes over Akabane's face cannot be described as anything better than sinister. "Well, I always thought you couldn't stand me, but given your actions of the past few hours, I'd say you actually like me a good amount."

"What would ever give you that idea?" Gakushuu says automatically, and his face contorts in anguish when he realizes how awfully horrible he must look right now. "Don't answer that, I know what you're thinking. God, I blocked your number for a _reason_."

"Because you're flipping out?" Akabane asks, unimpressed. "Figured you would be. Hey, to each sexuality crisis their own I guess. You're a little late to the party, but-"

"I'm not having a _goddamn_ sexuality crisis," he hisses, grabbing Akabane's shirt by the collar. "I just wanted you to stop talking! Is that so much to ask? I'm sorry if you feel that I violated you or something, but I-"

Given their positions, it shouldn't be that surprising to him when Akabane puts a hand on the back of his still-dripping head and kisses him. Still, it freezes him up entirely, turning him into a caricature of rigor mortis.

_I guess this is how Akabane felt before._ He feels his grip on Akabane's shirt slacken, and he only blinks, only _breathes,_ once Akabane releases him from his hold. The other boy bounces on his toes and licks his lips in the most annoying fashion possible.

"Sorry," he says, straightening out his shirt. Gakushuu never knew someone could put so much smug energy into a task so simple. "I just wanted you to stop talking." He cocks his head to the side. "Is the sexuality crisis kicking in _now?_ You look like you're seeing a ghost."

"You liked it," Gakushuu realizes, breathes aloud. "You liked it when I kissed you. You're..." He can't even bring himself to say it out loud. _Akabane._ The boy who could charm anyone. The boy who was just flirting with Takao a week ago! _He's..._

"Gay?" Akabane finishes, stroking his chin. "Yes. If you need a moment, I can wait. Shocking, I know. I always thought the hair would give it away, but-"

"So you _did_ like it when I kissed you. What, do you have a crush on me or something?" He always heard about people being mean to the people they liked, but he always thought the notion was ridiculous. Why would you insult someone you held in high regard? Romance, especially the teenage kind, never made any sense to him, and this makes the least sense of all.

Surprisingly, Akabane snorts. "You wish," he says, wiping his eye. "How could anyone have a crush on someone as uptight as you, Closet Case? Nah, it was more like 'hey a hot guy kissed you, why not roll with that?' Obviously you saw the situation differently, but that's a you problem."

"Don't call me that," Gakushuu says, pulling at the towel anxiously. "I'm not gay. And it's not a _me_ problem, it's a no one problem." _At least, it would be if you just dropped it like I wanted to._

"You're not gay, but your first instinct to shut me up was to kiss me?" Akabane picks up his phone, miming out a call. "Hello, is this the department of rainbows and glitter? We got a live one."

"Stop talking. Get off my rooftop." He can feel a migraine forming, and having migraine personified around certainly isn't helping. "I'll call... someone. An exterminator, perhaps." The towel around his neck feels like it's suffocating him, and he pulls it off entirely, wringing it in his hands. _I'll be ruined. I'll be ruined and my image tarnished and my father_ -

"Okay, you've made your point," Akabane says, putting his hands up. "Don't freak out. I'll get out of your hair and never mention this again."

_Suspicious._ "That is suspicious," Gakushuu says aloud, eyes narrowing. "You're giving up too easily."

"Me being a decent person? It's more likely than you'd think. 'specially when you look like you're about to lose your shit." He scratches the back of his neck, still rocking on his feet. Gakushuu is slightly concerned he might slip and fall off the roof entirely. "Plus, I really don't want you calling the cops for trespassing. Not worth the effort of talking my way out of it. I've got comics to read."

Gakushuu still isn't entirely satisfied. "How do I know you won't tell anyone?" Regardless of how well Akabane is taking it - whatever _it_ is - he knows that others in his life won't be as accepting. 

He feels it before he sees it: a hand on his cheek, Akabane's breath ghosting his lips for a second, and then a warm pressure that knocks him off balance. This kiss isn't like the others. This one is warm, and slow, and _soft,_ and he closes his eyes instinctively because it feels like the right thing to do. If he was frozen before, now he's weak, limp, in danger of falling through the window himself.

The first two kisses reminded him of Akabane: quick, brash, aggressive, slightly painful, and rife with ulterior motives. This one, though... He didn't know Akabane was capable of being gentle.

And just like that, the moment passes.

"There," Akabane breathes. His hands are damp from Gakushuu's hair, and he wipes them on his pants. "Now you have leverage over me. I kissed you twice, and you kissed me only once."

"Why," Gakushuu says, unable to form any more words. _Why would you do that?_

Akabane shrugs. "I dunno, honestly, and I'll probably come to regret that later. Don't want to be outed and all, especially not by you." He rubs his face with a hand, and his usual smirk returns. "Anyway, if you turn me in, you'll find all of your lunches covered in wasabi for the rest of the year, so tread carefully, alright?"

Gakushuu nods blankly, head still filled with static, and Akabane slides down the roof, disappearing around the corner. A moment later, he sees him in the driveway, hopping onto a bicycle and riding away.

He stares out the open window for another few minutes, head buzzing, until he shivers from the chilly air coming in. He towels his hair off quickly, almost frantically, like he can dry the whole night out of his hair. Like he can dry _Akabane_ out of his life.

He opens his phone, turns to the messaging app. Akabane is still blocked, and he types something out before he undoes the action.

**Me:** Why must you make everything so complicated?

The message stares at him, and he stares back, long enough that his eyes start to hurt. Then he deletes the whole thing, unblocks Akabane, and types out something much more fitting.

**Me:** You are unblocked for now. Do not abuse this privilege.

Of course, Akabane immediately texts back with a string of devil emojis that strongly suggests he will take his words into no consideration. Tonight, Gakushuu has no energy for a response. Simply _thinking_ about Akabane makes his entire face burn, like the devil himself cursed him. _With this kiss, you shall forever smolder under Akabane. There is no cure._

Nope. Thinking about the words "kiss" and "Akabane" in the same sentence only exacerbates his condition.

He does many things after that. He rinses his face with cold water. He does his English homework and math homework and studies for physics even though he doesn't need to. He _burns._ He rinses his face with cold water again. He practices the piano on his keyboard, headphones plugged in since his mother gets headaches. He practices until his ears hurt, and it isn't enough because he still burns. Burns for _Akabane,_ who doesn't merit a thought in his head, much less one so intrusive.

He doubts Akabane is giving the kiss - he rinses his face again - any more thought than he gives anything else. How _dare_ he infiltrate Gakushuu's mind like this? 

_It isn't Akabane,_ he reminds himself, _that is making me react this way. It is teenage hormones. It is simply the fact that he was my first kiss. And second. And third. Really, it could've been anyone haunting my mind right now! I just so happen to be the unluckiest person on the planet, so it turned out to be Akabane. But that is no matter. Akabane will drop it, and I will do the same. By tomorrow morning, it will be erased from my head._

He goes to bed with the last phrase repeating in his head, like a mantra. _By tomorrow morning, it will be erased. By tomorrow morning, it will be erased. By tomorrow morning, it will be erased._

He barely sleeps at all that night. Every five minutes, he finds that he compulsively touches his lips, as if to see that they really are still there.

* * *

In the morning, it takes him five minutes of pep talking in the mirror to get him dressed and ready for school. His father asks him about why he looks so tired, and his tone of voice suggests that he already knows, but Gakushuu knows by now that that's just a ruse. A mind trick he uses to get people to disclose their secrets. 

"I lost track of time while reading," he says, voice even, and suppresses a real yawn. "I will be fine. It will not impact my schoolwork."

"I'm sure it won't," the principal agrees. "I would hate to have to set a bedtime for you." _As if I'm a child who cannot take care of themself._

"Indeed," he bites out, and finishes his toast.

Before stepping into his classroom, he makes a resolution: he will not look at Akabane at all. That should save him some discomfort, and it's not as though he actually enjoys interacting with the other boy. A win win, really. 

He walks in, greeting a few people as he goes, and firmly does not face back the whole time. He doubts Akabane is even in class yet - he has a tendency to walk in right _after_ the bells rings - but one can never be too careful. Indeed, he hears Akabane walk in a few minutes later, half-heartedly apologizing to the teacher for being late yet again, and he keeps his head focused on his paper. His phone buzzes, but he doesn't check it.

_Ignoring, ignoring, ignoring, ignoring-_

"I want to work with Asano," he hears Akabane say, and he snaps his head up. _Work with me? For what?_ He picks his head up, scans the board quickly, and dies a little inside. _In class reading assignment. In partners._

Blatantly ignoring Akabane, he looks for Araki, only to find him already paired with another boy. He sends Gakushuu an apologetic look, then jabs his thumb in Akabane's direction. _So that's who he was talking to._ It's been years since Araki last counteracted Akabane to his face. Now that the other boy ranks above him, he's lost his edge. Gakushuu's the only one left out of his friends who has the ability to face Akabane as an equal. 

He looks around the room only to find that everyone else is already partnered up. _Evil. Pure evil. He must have intimidated the whole class away just to have the chance to bother me._

Pressing his lips together, he looks up at Akabane for a split second and beckons him over to his desk. As ridiculous as it feels, he wants the home court advantage. The boy walks over, sitting on top of his neighbor's desk. As if chairs are below him.

"For the reading assignment," Gakushuu starts, looking down at his paper, but Akabane cuts him off.

"Already halfway done with it. It's quicker if we do it separate."

A vein pulses in his temple. "So then why did you want to work with me?" he asks, reading the passage as he does so and circling answers. _A, C, D, A, A, B, D._ "You seemed quite adamant on it too, judging by what I heard."

"You were ignoring my texts," Akabane replies, also circling on his sheet fast enough that Gakushuu doubts he's even reading the questions. 

"I always ignore your texts. This isn't anything new. Maybe you should start receiving the message, Akabane."

"Which is?" 

"I want nothing to do with you." He glances up for a second at that, gauging the other boy's reaction. Of course, he receives nothing but a raise of the eyebrows. He doesn't know what he expected, really. It isn't as though Akabane doesn't already know this. 

"Really, nothing? Because yesterday-"

" _Don't talk about yesterday_." His words come out as a hiss, and he takes a moment to make sure no one heard him so... disconcerted.

"Relax, I wasn't gonna go into details." He puts his pencil down, swinging his feet. "So you really hate me, huh?"

The question feels odd somehow. Gakushuu simultaneously wants to answer with _Isn't it obvious?_ and _It's more complicated than that._ After five years of feuding, it couldn't be reduced to simple hatred.

"My life is easier without you in it," he goes with, and it's the truth. Yet... it still feels lacking.

"Alright," Akabane says, hopping off of the desk. "I think I've bothered you for long enough. Thanks for your time, Sir President." He returns to his seat, takes out his phone, and starts typing something. Gakushuu anticipates a text, and prepared to swipe it away, but gets nothing. 

He gets nothing for the rest of the class, either. Not a text, not a word, not a glance. Normally he would be relieved, but now it puts him on edge. It feels like Akabane is plotting something, but what?

When the lunch bell rings, he braces himself for a confrontation, but gets nothing. When he looks up, Akabane is already gone. 

"Why did Akabane want to work with you in class?" Araki asks. "You seemed deep in conversation."

"He had questions about student congress," Gakushuu lies. "I would not have _had_ to answer those questions if you had been my partner, Araki."

His friend has the decency to look sheepish at that. "I didn't feel like arguing with Akabane for the spot. He looked dead set on working with you."

"Only so he could copy my answers and slack off," Gakushuu says, and changes the subject to Seo's new lab rat. Animals, he muses, are a lot simpler than people could ever be.

* * *

He doesn't get a single text from Akabane for the rest of the day. Nor does he interact with him at all the next. At one point he looks straight backwards, just to see if Akabane is even in school, and the boy stares back for a second before looking around him to the board. _As if he is really copying down notes._ Not a single remark, not a single expression. Gakushuu is starting to think that Akabane might be dying.

_He did say that he thinks he's bothered me enough. Did he mean that he will leave me alone forever? Was telling him that I don't like him really enough to get him off my back permanently? Was it always that simple?_

_Of course,_ the darker side of his mind supplies, _this could be because of the kiss. He may not want to interact with you after that._

_Why would_ he _be affected by that? He's the gay one! He kissed me twice._

_Maybe he saw that you enjoyed it too, and now you disgust him._ The thought jars him so much, he hits his knee on his desk and winces. _He agreed not to tell anyone, and he's gay himself, but maybe by kissing him first, he thinks you expressed interest in him._

_I didn't express any interest in him! I merely wanted to shut him up._

_Well now he's shut up. Are you happy?_

He ruminates on this for the rest of the day, stealing enough glances backwards that his math teacher actually calls him out. 

"Is there something more interesting than this lesson back there, Asano?" she asks. Gakushuu's face burns, now in embarrassment. Never in his _life_ had he ever been called out in class for anything but outstanding behavior. Now, of all times, Akabane meets his eyes and winces in sympathy before looking away.

"Nothing," he says, a little shakily. He has no excuses in his repertoire. "I'm sorry."

"Just try to pay better attention," she sighs, and returns to the problem on the board. Gakushuu doesn't look back again after that. He knows what he'll find, and he doesn't know how he feels about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate title for this chapter: "gakushuu gay panics. very."
> 
> ah, the complications of rivals. my heart overflows with love for both of their stupid stupid brains.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: laurenshappenstobemyhusband
> 
> when i say "supposed to be" you say "one shot". this is becoming a bad trend that will leave me with a billion wips even though I JUST deleted two old ones. i thought i was better than this.


End file.
